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A superb sand save by Adam Scott denied Shane Lowry a place at the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship as the Irishman finished 31st in the playoff standings with the top 30 making East Lake.
The Offaly man closed with a 68 that left him tied for 12th at the BMW Championship but a bogey from the Australian on the final hole would have pushed Lowry into the top 30. Scott, however, got up-and-down to end Lowry’s hopes.
“It was so weird out there today, it was like trying to make a cut on a Sunday, and I’m also trying to do well in the tournament. It was a strange feeling,” Lowry said of trying to make the top 30.
“All in all, I suppose I still have to look at positives from today and this season. I think it’s been a pretty good year for me. I’ve only played 18 events on the PGA Tour, and to be in this position is pretty good. I’ve had some nice finishes.
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“I feel like there’s a lot of things that didn’t go my way this season. I had a few chance to win tournaments that I didn’t get over the line, but all in all, it’s been a pretty good year without a win. It’s kind of one of those.”
Lowry started his day with a bogey and dropped another shot late in his round at 17, but birdies at four, five, seven and nine ensured he took the turn at three under. The undoubted highlight of his round came at the seventh with a chip-in birdie from the bunker.
Momentum stalled a touch with a series of pars on the back nine, the only shot picked up coming at the 14th. Lowry finished on eight-under for the tournament.
Aaron Wise started the week in 31st place and barely snagged the 30th and final spot at the Tour Championship with his tied for 15th finish on Sunday — his gain was Lowry’s loss.
Rory McIlroy overcame a frustrating one-over start to his round on the front nine with a scintillating birdie-birdie-birdie finish to end the tournament on nine-under and make it to the Tour Championship seventh in the standings. He picked up momentum at the end when hitting the pin with his approach on 16 before holing a nine-footer. A delicate wedge from the edge of the green at 17 set up another chance to pick up a shot before one final birdie came at the 18th.
World number one Scottie Scheffler will open the Tour Championship at 10-under par when the final leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs kicks off on Thursday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Scheffler moved back into first place in the FedEx Cup standings by tying for third at the BMW Championship on Sunday in Wilmington, Delaware. He leads the field of 30 players who qualified for the Tour Championship, where an $18 million bonus is at stake for the winner of the season-long points race.
Patrick Cantlay, the reigning FedEx Cup champion, will begin the Tour Championship in second at eight-under after he won the BMW Championship for the second year in a row — the first player to defend his title at a playoff event in the 16-year history of the format.
Will Zalatoris will start in third. He won the first leg of the playoffs at the FedEx St Jude Championship a week ago before withdrawing from the BMW Championship midway through his third round to rest a sore back.
Xander Schauffele moved up to fourth by tying for third at the BMW, and Sam Burns will start in fifth.
The Tour Championship utilises a staggered starting position to reward players with more FedEx Cup points and give them a better chance of winning the event.
The starting leaderboard for Tour Championship will be:
1. Scottie Scheffler (-10)
2. Patrick Cantlay (-8)
3. Will Zalatoris (-7)
4. Xander Schauffele (-6)
5. Sam Burns (-5)
6. Cameron Smith (-4)
7. Rory McIlroy (-4)
8. Tony Finau (-4)
9. Sepp Straka (-4)
10. Sungjae Im (-4)
11. Jon Rahm (-3)
12. Scott Stallings (-3)
13. Justin Thomas (-3)
14. Cameron Young (-3)
15. Matt Fitzpatrick (-3)
16. Max Homa (-2)
17. Hideki Matsuyama (-2)
18. Jordan Spieth (-2)
19. Joaquin Niemann (-2)
20. Viktor Hovland (-2)
21. Collin Morikawa (-1)
22. Billy Horschel (-1)
23. Tom Hoge (-1)
24. Corey Conners (-1)
25. Brian Harman (-1)
26. K.H. Lee (even)
27. J.T. Poston (even)
28. Sahith Theegala (even)
29. Adam Scott (even)
30. Aaron Wise (even)
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